Finnair is set to launch a new 'Arctic Express' service later this year. It will operate Lapland flights from Helsinki to Rovaniemi and to Tromso, the gateway to the Northern Lights. Aimed at enhancing Arctic connections, the new route will be the only direct connection between Rovaniemi and Tromsø. Flights will operate twice per week from 2 December. Services will depart Helsinki each Thursday and Saturday, linking Rovaniemi and Tromso round trip. International customers will also benefit from the new service, being able to fly into Helsinki and add stopovers in the Arctic's top two destinations. Antti Tolvanen, Finnair SVP Network & Revenue Management, said: "With this new connection, visitors to the Arctic region can conveniently combine both Lapland and Northern Norway in one trip." Flights on the new route will be operated by 68-seater ATR aircraft. Currently, Finnair offers flights to 14 destinations within Finland and five in Norway. This winter, Finnair offers up to 10 daily direct flights from Helsinki to Rovaniemi, in addition to a separate daily service to Tromso. Flights have been timed to allow for easy connections from top UK airports, London Heathrow, Manchester, Edinburgh and from Dublin.

The Finnair Plus loyalty program is tapping Avios as its new loyalty currency in early 2024. It is partnering with IAG Loyalty to adopt Avios for existing and new Finnair Plus members to earn and redeem. The Finnair Plus program will also move to a new spend-based platform. The program will have new milestone benefits to enable members to receive extra rewards. These include additional upgrade benefits when reaching certain point limits within their existing tier. As an extra incentive to join, members will now also receive complimentary internet access for messaging on Finnair's short-haul European flights operated on the narrow-body Airbus fleet. This is regardless of their tier status. Ole Orvér, Finnair's CCO, said: "2024 marks the start of a new era with our loyalty program, with new benefits and improved options for our members. Finnair will also invest in new, more spacious lounge premises on the Schengen side of Helsinki Airport, Finnair's home hub. The lounge will move to new premises in 2024 and feature a dedicated area for top-tier members. Finnair Plus loyalty program, launched in 1992, currently has over four million members worldwide. Finnair will also increase the number of award seats, guaranteeing at least four award seats on Finnair flights within Europe and eight on Finnair long-haul flights. Finnair will adopt Avios from early 2024. Finnair Plus award points will be converted to Avios with a 3:2 ratio. Finnair will notify members of the exact date later this year.  

Finnair is adding more Bangkok flights from Helsinki this winter, to meet increased demand. From 29 October, the airline will increase flights from 11 a week to double daily service. Bangkok flights are served by Airbus A350 aircraft with new long-haul cabins, including Air Lounge Business Class seats, and a brand-new Premium Economy. This winter, Finnair will serve 16 long-haul destinations from its Helsinki hub, including key cities such as Singapore, Seoul and Tokyo. Services are timed to allow for easy connections from top UK airports and Dublin.  

Finnair is expanding newly upgraded long-haul flight experience to more destinations. The €200 million investment includes a new Business Class, new Premium Economy cabin, and refreshed Economy seating. It comes as the airline celebrates its centenary later this year. From 1 August, Finnair introduces the new interiors on more Asia flights including the Helsinki to Tokyo-Narita route. It is already available for customers flying to Tokyo-Haneda. It is also being added to other Asia flights including to Seoul from 1 September, and Osaka from 13 September. In the US, Finnair offers the new product between Helsinki and Los Angeles from 1 August. LAX is the last American city on Finnair's network to experience its new long-haul cabins. The new cabin concept is already available for customers flying to Chicago, Dallas, Miami, New York JFK and Seattle. Anssi Partanen, Finnair Market Director UK & Ireland, said: "As we approach our centenary, it is wonderful to be able to bring our new innovative long-haul cabin to more destinations. “ By the end of summer, Finnair will offer the new long-haul look on 14 international routes to Asia, the US and the Middle East. Finnair’s investment in its long-haul Economy Class includes new seats and larger Inflight Entertainment (IFE) screens.

Finnair has unveiled an expanded summer flight schedule for 2024. The expansion is in response to the increased demand for travel across both Europe and Asia. It includes several new routes plus various frequency improvements. It comprises a new seven weekly direct service between Helsinki and Wroclaw, Poland, while Gdansk will also return to Finnair's European network. There are more UK frequencies to Manchester, Edinburgh and Dublin in 2024. Northwest customers will enjoy 12 weekly flights direct from Manchester, up from eight this summer, and 29 from London Heathrow. From Scotland, the Nordic airline will also add two weekly flights to Helsinki, bringing the service up to seven times per week in the summer. Dublin direct flights to Helsinki increase from seven to 10 weekly in summer 2024. Ole Orvér, Finnair Chief Commercial Officer, said: "Our expanded frequencies to the UK and Ireland are incredibly important to Finnair's strategy." Finnair will also add flights to Japan. The popular connections from Helsinki to Osaka and Tokyo-Narita will both see an additional two weekly flights next summer. Regional connections will also be expanded, with additional frequencies to Scandinavia's key cities, including Bergen, Billund, Stockholm, Tromso and Trondheim. Services have been specifically timed to allow for easy connections from UK airports and the Irish capital Dublin. All flights can now be booked at Finnair.com

Finnair is introducing a new Superlight ticket for short haul journeys within Europe. As of 1 June, the Superlight ticket type will replace Economy Light tickets on Finnair journeys within Europe. It includes a small bag, which goes under the seat, but with no other carry-baggage included. Any purchases made at the airport are counted in the allowance, so they must also fit into the underseat bag. Finnair Plus tier members travelling on a Superlight ticket will have one carry-on bag in addition. “Punctuality is very important for our customers, and the target of the changes we are now making is to ensure smooth boarding,” says Ole Orvér, Chief Commercial Officer. "Excess carry-on baggage is a known issue, impacting both punctuality as well as travel comfort.” Finnair will crack down on excess carry-on bags in the cabin. Light tickets, which include a regular carry-on bag, will continue to be available for long-haul journeys and for Business Class on European flights. The Classic ticket type is still available for customers with both checked and carry-on baggage. As of June 1, Finnair will also decrease the baggage allowance for Business Class. All special baggage allowances, such as golf bags and ski equipment, will be excluded from the new ticket classifications and only be available for an additional charge.  

Scandinavian carrier Finnair is offering its new Premium Economy service on transatlantic Seattle flights. The three times a week A330 flights also feature refreshed Business Class and Economy Class. Finnair was the launch customer for the brand-new Business Class seating concept. It was developed with Collins Aerospace. The unique fixed shell lounge space enables a wide variety of sitting and sleeping positions. The airline's €200 million investment has garnered several accolades including 'Cabin Concept of the Year' by Onboard Hospitality. Currently, Finnair offers six direct routes from the US to Helsinki. There are year-round services to New York JFK, LAX and Dallas, and seasonal services to Chicago, Miami and Seattle. Finnair's renewed long-haul experience is also available on flights from Chicago, Dallas and New York.

This weekend, Finnair marks the milestone of 40 years of Japan flights. Finnair's first flight to Japan departed on 22 April 1983 to Tokyo-Narita. At the time it was the only airline offering direct flights from Western Europe. In response to increasing customer demand, Finnair became a popular gateway to Japan. With the start of direct services to Fukuoka in 2016, Finnair was the first - and only - European airline to operate to five different cities in Japan. These are Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka, Sapporo and Tokyo. Finnair flights to Tokyo Narita, via the North Pole, resumed on 9 March 2022. Anssi Partanen, Finnair Market Manager UK & Ireland, said: "We are proud of our links to Japan and Asia, and achieving so many remarkable firsts.” "Thanks to our geographic position, we have established Finnair as a firm bridge between the West and Asia.” Finnair has continued to build back its Asia flight network with the restart of more Japan flights to Osaka in March. This coming summer season, Finnair's new Premium Economy travel class is also available on flights to/from Tokyo Haneda.

Finnair will drop two of its shortest Helsinki flights, and replace them with bus connections. Flights to Turku and Tampere will become bus routes as of May 1, 2023. Finnair has already replaced its midday flights on these routes with bus connections to lower the CO2 footprint. Road and rail options are a more environmentally sustainable option, it says. "These Helsinki flights are very short, with relatively low passenger numbers – around 35% load factors,” says Perttu Jolma, Network. VP They have a higher CO2 emission per passenger than many other short routes in our network." "We understand that this decision will disappoints customers and regret the inconvenience.” “We must, however, take both economic and environmental considerations into account.” Flying time to Turku and Tampere is only 25 minutes. During summer 2023, Finnair will operate four bus services per day between Tampere and Turku and Helsinki Airport. Bus connections can be purchased together with the connecting flight. With the bus connection included in the booking, Finnair also guarantees connections in case bus or flight schedules are delayed. The buses run on biodiesel and have internet connectivity.

Finnair is set to resume Osaka flights this weekend. The direct Japan service restarts on 26 March after a one-year hiatus. Flights from Helsinki to Osaka Kansai International Airport will initially operate three times per week. Finnair’s Airbus A350 jets offer Business Class and Economy Class. Services have been timed to allow easy connections from  the UK & Ireland including London Heathrow, Manchester, Dublin and Edinburgh. Finnair also has daily flights from Helsinki to Tokyo-Haneda and to Tokyo-Narita four times a week.

Finnair is ramping up use of sustainable aviation fuel. The Nordic airline has bought 750 tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from partner, Neste. It is for use on flights departing from Helsinki Airport. It represents Finnair's largest single batch of SAF purchased yet. The 750 tons represents about 400 flights between Helsinki and Stockholm using unblended 100% SAF. By using Neste MY sustainable aviation fuel emissions will be reduced by up to 80%, it says. A small part of the price of each Finnair ticket is allocated towards the cost of SAF. The airline aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. Eveliina Huure, SVP Sustainability, said: "Finnair celebrates its 100th anniversary this year and reducing emissions from flying is essential to a sustainable future.” "Sustainable aviation fuel will be one of the most important tools for reducing aviation-related emissions.

Finnair has unveiled its European summer schedule, with several new routes. It will launch three weekly flights to the Norwegian gateway of Bodo for the first time. Complementing existing services to Milan Malpensa, it adds flights to Milan Linate. Services will be relaunched to the Slovenian city of Ljubljana. Summer 2023 will see Finnair fly to more than 50 destinations across Europe, with added frequencies to Berlin, Copenhagen, Vilnius and Riga. Ole Orvér, Finnair CCO, said: "Travel has recovered at a good pace so we are increasing flights to popular destinations.” "We also rescheduled services to boost connectivity for flights to Japan to meet demand from Asia." The Nordic carrier will offer long-haul connections to Tokyo, Osaka, Shanghai, Hong Kong, the US and more. Finnair operates direct flights from Helsinki to London Heathrow, Manchester, Edinburgh and Dublin.